How to Move Furniture Safely
Whether you’re moving into a new house or just want to shake things up a bit at home, moving furniture can be a real pain.
Furniture can be bulky, heavy, and often doesn’t have any good places to grab onto. And to make matters worse, it usually has to be pushed through tight doorways, around sharp corners, and up steep stairs.
These kinds of maneuvers can put you at risk for a strained back, stubbed toes, jammed fingers, or even a pulled muscle or two. And pulling a muscle could have serious consequences that last days, weeks, or even a lifetime.
3 Tips for Moving Safety
Because of these risks, it’s important to make sure you know how to lift and move heavy furniture safely. Here are 3 key tips for making sure you stay safe while hauling bulky items.
Plan Ahead
It may be tempting to just grab an item and get it moved as fast as possible. But that can lead to mistakes. The best place to start with any moving job is to plan it out.
Start with the route you need to take. Make sure you have a clear path. You don’t want to find a kid’s toy or box in your way while you’re struggling under the weight of a sofa! Find those hazards before you start, and make the trip that much easier.
After making sure your path is clear, check for any narrow doors, stairs, or turns. Figure out how you want to tackle them before you start. It can even be a good idea to measure tight areas to find out how much space you have to work with, or if the furniture will fit at all. Then, when you do hit the hard areas, you’ll know exactly what you need to do and won’t have to strain under a heavy weight while trying to figure it out.
Lose a Leg
Many chairs, tables, and couches have detachable legs. It may seem like a pain to have to take more time to remove them and put them back on, but it makes a big difference! With the legs removed, you’ll have less weight to worry about, and it will be easier to fit the furniture through doors and hallways. The extra few minutes you’ll spend removing the legs will buy you easier, lighter work while you’re moving the piece.
Get Help
It may seem like a good idea to just grab that chair and push, drag, pull, and heave it to where you need it. But it’s not. Furniture is heavy and bulky. Even when you don’t think it’s that heavy, the shape and the way the weight is distributed can make it hard to lift and put strain on your muscles. That’s why so many people hurt themselves while moving furniture. It’s just not worth it. Always make sure you have someone to help you. They’ll share the weight and make sure that you have help if anything bad happens. Having an extra pair of hands makes things safer, easier, and faster.
When to Hire a Furniture Removal Professional
While moving your own furniture can be safe if you do it right, it’s still a long, labor intensive project. Sometimes it’s just better to hire a professional to help you. Here are just a few reasons you may want to call a moving company instead of doing it on your own.
You have difficulty lifting heavy items
There are many different factors that can make it difficult for an individual to lift heavy items, whether it be age, stature, or even old injuries. The bottom line is, you shouldn’t have to risk putting yourself in danger just to get old furniture out of your way.
It’s just you doing the lifting
Furniture can be hard to move when there are two people, but it’s nearly impossible with just one person. If you’re someone who doesn’t have another set of hands willing to help you out, it’s best to call the professionals.
You value your time
More times than not, removing furniture is a day-long endeavor. That’s precious time being taken out of your day to do something that you could hire someone else to do. And, you risk injuries as well as damaging the furniture in the process.
Call 888-PIK-ITUP!
If you need help removing old, unwanted furniture, give us a call! Our professional movers will come and take any unwanted big, bulky items away. And, we’ll make sure they end up where they need to go. We’ll donate anything that’s in good enough condition, recycle what we can, and toss what we have to. You don’t have to worry about a thing! All you have to do is give us a call at 888-PIK-ITUP or schedule an appointment online today, then just sit back and let us do all the heavy lifting!
